I appreciate what you're trying to do here, Gabriel,
Yes, kudos to Gabe for setting us up.
but I'd like to advocate for the Screenless Switchers proposal
Yes, sounds nice, but, at least for indefinite future, it is just a proposal. Gabe has put his money where his mouth is.
for a number of reasons.
Okay.
I think we need something a bit more centralized.
I do not follow. The BlindTechs.Net wiki is wide open. One doesn't even need to register to edit. One arbitrary domain is as good as another isn't it? Unless you get Apple or some already established organization to sponsor the VO wiki.
I also have some concerns about the fact that we are already facing a bit of an uphill battle with VO and Mac,
A working wiki should help with that.
and there are many in the VI community who do not have a positive attitude toward you, Gabriel.
Ah, now we get to the matter. You would deny Gabe this opportunity to redeem himself? He is offering something up, rather unselfishly it seems to me. How is it not in the same spirit that Saqib sponsored MacVisionaries?
I've not bumped into you for many years, so am reserving judgment for now,
It sounds to me like you have already judged and condemned the effort.
though some of your recent messages to this list have not comforted me that you can keep neutrality.
Can you cite some rants or other controversial bits on the BlindTechs.net domain which should make us worried?
A project like this, IMO, should be hosted by someone supportive of Mac or at least indifferent,
There has been the vacuum for over a year. No one has stepped up to the plate until now. I think we should be quite grateful.
but someone who also can deal with Mac's critics with a level head.
I fail to comprehend why a volunteer wiki site needs to be administered by someone with a spotless public relations reputation.
I bring this up in the spirit of furthering the use of Macs among the blind, and none of this is intended as a personal attack.
I and relieved Gabe was not insulted. I am inclined to reward those who do the work rather than those who are polite and kind and but not actually useful. I suppose the world needs both types.
I would really like to see this project move forward,
Okays, write a wiki article or two! I wrote three new ones today.
and awareness and use of VO extended, but we need to consider all these things.
I am sure you have the best intentions. We need more than intentions. I also recognize that, since I have drawn more than my fair share of criticism, I can empathize with Gabe more than most. If people put just a quarter of the effort into the wiki as they are willing to spend posting to MacVisionaries, the Wiki will come together amazing quickly. Unlike the listserv archives, it is reasonable to expect that the VO wiki can actually be easy to find stuff in. I hate to admit it, but spelling and grammar can all be corrected after the fact as the site evolves.
